Opinion No. 68-214 (1968) Ag

CourtOklahoma Attorney General Reports
DecidedJune 20, 1968
StatusPublished

This text of Opinion No. 68-214 (1968) Ag (Opinion No. 68-214 (1968) Ag) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Oklahoma Attorney General Reports primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Opinion No. 68-214 (1968) Ag, (Okla. Super. Ct. 1968).

Opinion

Salt Water Transportation — Disposal — Dumping — Arrest Corporation Commission has the duty, upon reasonable belief that any motor vehicle is being operated without a Class "B" motor carrier operating permit, to require driver to show the registration certificate and to make an arrest where violations are detected. The Attorney General has had under consideration your letter dated May 24, 1968, in which you state and inquire as follows: "1. We have had numerous complaints from the Panhandle Counties of Oklahoma, regarding the transportation of salt water into the State of Oklahoma from outside of Oklahoma and disposing of same in salt water disposal wells in the State of Oklahoma. Is this unlawful and what would be the duties of the Corporation Commission in this regard? "2. What duty, if any, does the Corporation Commission have in the apprehension or criminal prosecution of motor carriers who violate the misdemeanor provisions of sub-sections (a) and (b) of Section 47 O.S. 177.3 [47-177.3] of Title 47, Oklahoma Statutes, 1967 Supplement?" Your questions relate to 47 O.S. 177.1 [47-177.1] — 47 O.S. 177.3 [47-177.3] [47-177.3] (1967). These statutes provide as follows: Section 47 O.S. 177.1 [47-177.1] "The term `Motor Carrier' as used herein shall mean every person natural or corporate, and every firm, association, trust or entity whatever, including corporate officers, directors, employees and agents, as well as the corporation itself, and any individual or agent of a `Motor Carrier', who shall transport by motor vehicle deleterious liquids or other substances harmful to livestock, crops or croplands, including but not limited to salt water and similar substances being transported for disposal or otherwise, for any valuable consideration whatever and in any quantity over twenty (20) gallons." Section 47 O.S. 177.2 [47-177.2] "No motor carrier shall engage in the business of transporting substances described in Section 1 hereof without a Class "B" Motor Carrier operating permit and a Salt Water Disposal License to be issued by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. The Commission shall maintain a current list of such licenses. The Commission shall charge the authorized Class `B' Motor Carrier application fee and such salt water disposal licensing fees as will cover the cost of issuing such licenses and shall promulgate the necessary regulations in connection therewith. The provisions of this Act are supplemental and are in addition to the laws applicable to motor carriers." Section 47 O.S. 177.3 [47-177.3] "(a) It shall be unlawful for a motor carrier to dump, disperse or otherwise release substances described in Section 1 hereof upon a public highway or elsewhere except on property or in wells, reservoirs or other receptacles owned, held, leased or otherwise rightfully and legally available to the motor carrier for such use and purpose. "(b) It shall be unlawful for any motor truck or tank vehicle used to transport salt water or other deleterious substances referred to herein to have a release device located or operated in any manner from within the cab of such a motor vehicle. "(c) Any violation of the foregoing subsections (a) or (b) shall constitute a misdemeanor. It shall be the duty of the prosecuting attorney of the County in which a violation of this Act occurs to file and prosecute the aforementioned misdemeanor charge and advise the Corporation Commission of such action and the results thereof. Upon finding at a public hearing of violation by a motor carrier, the Corporation Commission shall, pursuant to its jurisdiction under the motor carrier laws, revoke, alter, suspend or amend the Class `B' Motor Carrier operating permit and the license of the carrier involved, or take other appropriate action. In addition, the Commission shall impound the motor truck and tank vehicle of the motor carrier involved until a liability insurance policy or bond is furnished in an amount to be set by the Commission sufficient to assure compliance with this Act." If the disposal wells referred to in your first question are receptacles which are "owned, held, leased or otherwise rightfully and legally available to the motor carrier for such use and purpose" within the meaning of Section 47 O.S. 177.3 [47-177.3], then the act of disposing of salt water in same, standing alone, is not unlawful. We direct your attention, however, to that provision of Section 47 O.S. 177.2 [47-177.2] which requires that a motor carrier engaged in the business of transporting salt water and the other deleterious liquids and substances described in Section 47 O.S. 177.1 [47-177.1], in quantity over twenty gallons, must obtain a Class "B" Motor Carrier operating permit and a Salt Water Disposal License from the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. The Class "B" Motor Carrier permit is established by the laws relating to the regulation of motor carriers, 47 O.S. 161 [47-161] — 47 O.S. 176 [47-176] (19610, as amended in O.S.Supp. 1967. Section 167 provides in relevant part as follows: "It is hereby declared unlawful for any motor carrier heretofore defined as a Class "B" carrier to operate any motor vehicle upon any public highway for the transportation of passengers or property for compensation within this state without first having obtained from the Corporation Commission a permit. . . ." Section 47 O.S. 172 [47-172] provides in part for the appointment of enforcement officers by the Corporation Commission. Said section contains this pertinent language in regard to such officers: ". . . (e) Enforcement officers so appointed by the Corporation Commission, are hereby declared to be peace officers of the State of Oklahoma, shall be vested with all powers of peace officers in enforcing the provisions of this Act, and shall be so deemed and taken in all courts having jurisdiction over offenses against the laws of the State. "The powers and duties hereby conferred upon the enforcement officers appointed by the Corporation Commission, shall be subordinate to and in no way a limitation on the powers and duties of sheriffs or other peace officers of the State, or any political subdivision thereof, or of members of the Division of Highway Patrol, under the Department of Public Safety. Enforcement officers provided for in this Section shall have the power to exercise the authority herein conferred in all parts of the State of Oklahoma. "(f) Such enforcement officers when on duty, upon reasonable belief that any motor vehicle is being operated in violation of any provisions of this Act, shall be authorized to require the driver thereof to stop and exhibit the registration certificate issued for such vehicle, to submit to an inspection of the identification plate, or plates, on such vehicle, and to submit to such enforcement officer bills of lading, waybills or other evidences of the character of the commerce being transported in such vehicle, and to submit to an inspection of the contents of such vehicle for the purpose of comparing same with bills of lading, waybills of other evidences of transportation carried by the driver thereof. "(g) Such enforcement officers are hereby authorized to serve all warrants, writs and notices issued by the Corporation Commission relating to the enforcement of the provisions of this Act and the rules, regulations and requirements prescribed by the Corporation Commission hereunder.

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Opinion No. 68-214 (1968) Ag, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/opinion-no-68-214-1968-ag-oklaag-1968.